THE Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, yesterday started an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Wednesday (Nov 13) until Nov 19.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said this official visit is the first high-level engagement between both countries in 2024 since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s working visit to the UAE in October 2023.

Ahmad Zahid will be accompanied by senior officials of the relevant ministries and agencies and representatives from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.

During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister is scheduled to engage in high-level discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation, emphasising sectors such as the halal industry, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and artificial intelligence (AI).

The delegation is also scheduled to visit the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and engage with representatives from G42, a leading AI company in the UAE.

As part of his visit, Ahmad Zahid will officiate the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) Dubai 2024 and meet with key stakeholders in the UAE’s halal sector to further promote Malaysia and attract more investors.

“In 2023, the UAE was the largest importer of Malaysian halal products among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

The UAE is Malaysia’s second-largest trading partner, second-largest export destination and second-largest import source from the West Asian region,” it said.

From January to September 2024, total trade between Malaysia and the UAE increased by 16.03% to RM32.85bil (US$7.5bil) compared with RM28.31bil (US$6.5bil) for the corresponding period in 2023. – Bernama